PSM #21: Time Management

Technology, Time Management Comments (1)

PSM21: Time Management

• Hello, this is Plain Simple Mangement, I am Craig Walters, and today’s podcast deals with Time ManagementThank you all for your responses to my poll, and thank you for visiting my web site. In the future the web site will become a more integral part of the podcast, so please visit here often.Time management has won the poll so far, so I will share with you my views on time management.Some thoughts on time
  • Time is man’s theoritical construct to measure the rate of change. What we are really interested in is change and the rate of change, not the passage of time.The change we seek is to progress from the current state to the desired state. All of our energies should be focused on making this transition.As I mentioned before, Asimov in “Time, Space, and Other Things” points out that we have been given the life we need. He calculates the heart rate time the life expectancy for several other mammals and man, and finds that all mammals except man have about 1 billion heart beats during their lives. Man and man alone has 3 billion. He concludes that we have the time we need to do what we need to do.Our issue is not having enough time, it is an issue of how do we spend the time we have.I conclude that there is enough time do do what is important.So what is important.
    • Refer to the mission and vision statements that you have developed for your lives.
    • If you have not done so, then do it now.

  The Mechanics

  • I have used manual systems and computer systems. I don’t think it makes much difference. Eventually I have to answer the question; “What is the best use of my time now?” I find that manual systems are just as good as computer systems in answering this question.Since I do not spend 24×7 in front of a computer, something that I can transport is more ideal–Maybe a PDA, maybe index cards.For the most part, calendars only manage the interruptions rather than support the accomplishment of objectives. We use calendars to keep track of the interruptions. Sometimes, we put entries on the calendar in our own interest rather than some one elses, but most of the time we are serving someone else.It does not matter what you do as long as you meet these criteria.
    • I can review what actions I need to take
    • I can record progress and other necessary actions.
    • I can record my dreams.
    • I can list those actions that will achieve my dreams.

  Examples

  • In the 70’s I thought that John Dean had his stuff straight, when appearing in front of the Watergate commission. I journaled everything, noted everyting and spend more time recording my life rather than living it. Do not be a John Dean.Cardio-vascular surgeon
    • He carried index cards in his pocket, 1 per patient
    • The relevant info for each patient and family was on the card.
    • He could scan them easily.
    • The totality of his current surgical doctor life was in the deck.
    • The deck went with him everywhere.
    • He used the cards to share with others. He probably used these cards to plan his surgeries.

    I really love the system provided during
    the 80’s or 90’s provided by Century Plastics.

    • ScanCards used a specialized card.
      • This was not good.
    • 20th Century used index cards. Yea!!
      • I have placed a scan of the page on the web site.
    • I accomplished more using the index cards
      than I did using any other system.
    • My calendar and my administrative assistant managed my distractions.
    • My index cards managed what I wanted to do and need to do
    • Century Plastics and their card system are no longer available.
    • An alternative approach
      • Buy 3×5 Post-it notes.Buy a nice notebook or portfolio that you might and will carry everywhere.Buy a set of Avery dividers that have sufficient partitons for your life.Identify these dividers as the sections of your life.As tasks, objectives, initiatives, gotta-do’s come up,
        write them each on a 3×5 postit and stick
        in in the appropriate section of your life.When you have a free moment or an hour or a day, review the post-its.Select the postit that you love most now.

        Put you heart into its progress.

        These post-its or index cards are youre agents.

        • Write on them as things change.
        • Use highlighters to call out actions.
        • Use different colored cards for different purposes, priorities, etc.
        • Move them to your accomplishments box when you finish them.

    The God box

    • I have to share this with you.I am independent and self centered, or have been. I think I can solve my problems. Some I can not.I can not solve them all.For those I can not, I take the card out of my stack and put in the box labelled “God’s box”.I do not dwell on fears.I do not dwell on things I can not control.I let God deal with it as he may and move on to addressing what I can do someting about.

      This is the most sane prayer I have ever prayed: “…move me forward in your plan for me. I ask not that You bless what I decide to do, but that You will lead me to do what You have already blessed.”

      Actually it is the second most sane prayer. The first most sane prayer is the Lord’s Prayer. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven>”

  Conclusion

  • We have all the time we need
  • We need to focus on what matters.
  • We need to minimize the distractions that keep us from getting there.
  • Simplicity is the key.
  • What is the best use of my time now??
    • I hope you felt this podcast was a good use of the last few minutes.
    • I hope that the next few minutes take you closer to your dreams!! Good luck!

Links to resources:

Here are the links I promised you in the podcast. Please note that I have no financial interest in any of these offerings and, as far as I am concerned, they are available as is. I hope they work for you if you elect to go down the low tech path.

• www.scanplan.com I found this link today in my preparation for this podcast. When I was in college, the scheduling people used a similar system each quarter to schedule students into classes, and it seemed to work quite well.
• http://www.executivegallery.com/Pages/SCIdx.htm Here is the old scan card system that I mentioned in the podcast. I used this system for a while and it did serve its purpose. I did not like the size and propriety of the note cards–thus I elected a 3×5 system.

I feel like I need to tell you some other rules for time management.

• Delegate anything that you can delegate.
• Try and minimize the urgent interruptions, focusing instead on the important aspects of the job.
• Set aside times during the day to return phone calls and to answer e-mail. However, if you are in the office and the phone rings, answer it. Otherwise you could play phone tag forever if you return or answer calls at a different time than the caller–who is also managing his or her time.
• Look for an minimize time wasters imposed by the system. You have to spend your time with people but you do not have to spend your time in mediocre applications.
• Plan meetings with an agenda and an expected outcome. Drive meetings to achieve the outcome. I can accomplish in 20 minutes what others take an hour in doing.
• Do not procrastinate decisions. If you have the necessary data, make the decision. Otherwise you waste everyone’s time.
• Read a good time management book but don’t get stuck to the method to the extent that it spends 30 seconds keeping you from what you need to be doing.

Good luck.

Craig

Craig @ September 27, 2006